The Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) has denied claims by the Airspace Management Pensioners Association of Nigeria (AMPAN) that the agency had short-changed its members in their monthly pension payment.
It would be recalled that Federal Parastatals and Private Sector Pensioners’ Association (FEPPPAN) alleged at the weekend that NAMA defrauded its members to the tune of N1.5 billion between 2003 and 2017.
The national chairman of FEPPPAN, Mr. Kester Omotayo, who disclosed this at the weekend in Lagos at the association’s national delegates’ conference to formally announce AMPAN’s exit from the Nigerian Union of Pensioners (NUP) to FEPPPAN also alleged that NAMA pensions had been skewed towards the pensioners.
“It is not unlikely that NAMA operates on two pension structures perhaps to deliberately cover up or attempt to cover some sharp practices in the human resources department,” he added.
But NAMA reacted saying the “allegations are completely spurious and borne out of either malice, ignorance or both.”
He said the agency received a correspondence from the pensioners whereby they alleged irregularities in the payment of their entitlements owing to disparity with those of other agencies in the sector.
“Consequently, the agency set up a committee (with membership comprising pensioners themselves) to investigate and come up with findings.
“NAMA does not and will not for any reason, operate two pension accounts. It is an impossibility, given the existing Treasury Single Account (TSA) platform in operation.
“As it stands today, the panel is still sitting and is yet to come up with its findings.
“NAMA is up-to-date in its obligation to pensioners as they have received their November remunerations as at 26th of November, 2020,” it stated.
The agency said it is “startled and disenchanted to hear that some officials of the organisation have decided to run to the press on a matter that is still being investigated.
“We make bold therefore to say that the agency runs on a transparent platform with zero tolerance for corruption, even as it is poised to protect and promote the interests of its senior citizens at all times,” he added.
